Phil Mickelson took some heat after publicly calling out Tom Watson for his strategy following another Ryder Cup debacle. For many of us who weren’t following closely, Mickelson came across as being pretty obnoxious.

But then word got out on how Tom Watson had actually behaved, and how poorly he led his team. Watson has always had a sterling reputation, but he came across very badly with how he treated his team. It was amazing to see opinions on this matter shift so quickly, and Watson ended up issuing a statement where he essentially apologized for his behavior.

The upshot is that Mickelson’s criticisms are now being taken very seriously, and the entire process of picking Ryder Cup captains is being evaluated. And that’s a good thing. The performance of team USA has been pretty lame, and it’s time to have a more logical and professional process. Let’s hope that then leads to better play and some wins.

Because the sports world is constantly changing it can be a challenge to stay current on the newest NFL trade rumors, MLB free agent signings or PGA Tour information. Luckily, the advent of new technology including smartphones and tablets makes access to up to the minute sports news as easy as pushing an app’s desktop icon. Always be within a click of the most recent sports news with the best blogs, websites and applications for 2014.

1. ESPN:

Billed as the Worldwide Leader in Sports, ESPN is your go-to destination for up to the minute sports information. Whether it be through your desktop computer, tablet or smartphone the ESPN website and mobile application can be customized to your favorite sports teams. Get the scores you need while you are on the road or away from the television and never miss a highlight with the app’s state of the art video player.

2. Bleacher Report:

Covering everything from the Olympics to UFC to Golf, Bleacher Report strives to deliver interesting, creative and accurate sports related content to millions of readers. Instead of focusing on news stories that have been rehashed over and over again on other websites, Bleacher Report offers intelligent analysis through previews and predictions of upcoming games while tackling controversial topics and answering your burning sports related questions.

3. MLBTradeRumors:

Despite being a relative newcomer to the sports reporting industry, MLBTradeRumors is quickly becoming a popular destination for athletes, general managers and journalists to visit to receive the latest baseball news. Instead of reporting unsubstantiated baseball related rumors, the website has built a reputation for being one of the most accurate, reliable and trustworthy source of information. In addition to offering rumors relating to every team in baseball, the writers on the website tackle controversial and interesting topics including steroids in baseball, the collective bargaining agreement and much more.

4. YouWin:

Sports news from YouWin keeps you updated with the latest news in every sport to help you make educated sports betting decisions. Specializing in football, rugby, cricket and basketball among many other sports, YouWin makes betting easy by offering the latest news and previews that could impact upcoming games.

5. PGA Tour App:

If golf is your game then do not leave the house without the PGA Tour App downloaded on your phone or tablet. Despite being a free app, it offers excellent video coverage of recent tournaments, player stats, real time scoring information and much more. Best of all, the app offers live video for many of the major PGA Tour tournaments.

6. CBS Sports App:

Not only does this app offer coverage of mainstream sports within the US, but also it offers video highlights and previews of international matches too. Customize the app to deliver the latest news on your favorite teams and program it to receive push button notifications when a major event occurs.

Download these apps and bookmark these websites to be on the fast track for instantaneous sports information no matter where you are. Start the New Year on the right foot with these tools for staying up to date on sports in 2014.

We’ve seen what China can do when it sets its sights on competing in an Olympic sport. Well, get ready for Chinese golfers to start have an impact in the decades to come. With the Olympics adding golf the Chinese are fully engaged in developing young talent. Meanwhile the country is hosting high profile tournaments with large cash prizes that are luring golf’s elite. But behind the scenes the Chinese are hard at work.

If it seems strange that China should be the locus for so much high-caliber golf, get used to it. By the year 2020, when golf will make its second modern-era Olympic appearance at the Tokyo games, after Rio de Janeiro in 2016, Chinese players will likely be serious contenders for medals. The world’s pro tours will almost certainly be populated by Chinese stars, and China’s Hainan Island, on the same latitude as Hawaii, could be the world’s busiest golf destination.

The Chinese are serious. “You know how the Chinese love gold medals,” semi-joked Ken Chu, chief executive of the Mission Hills Group, which so far has built 22 golf courses in China, 10 of them on Hainan Island, and hosts more than 500 amateur and junior amateur tournaments a year. Guan and the country’s latest prodigy, Ye Wocheng, who was 12 when he played in a European Tour event in May, train at Mission Hills.

“Golf is a game that the Chinese believe we can excel at, because it’s more an IQ game than a muscular game,” Chu said. “I mean, how often do you get a Yao Ming (the former 7-foot-6 NBA star) becoming a national hero? But golf, no matter what height you are or how much you weigh, is still mostly mental.”

Pro golfers should welcome this challenge, as the amount of money in this sport will skyrocket with the Chinese getting involved. We’ve seen golf become very popular in other Asian countries so we’ll probably see the same here with the Olympic powers behind this push.